s 

COP   % 


ILLINOIS 
COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 

COOPERATIVE  AGREEMENT 


State  Geological  Survey 

Department  of  Mining  Engineering,  University  of  Illinois 

U.  S    Bureau  of  Mines 


BULLETIN  4 


Coal  Mining  Practice 


IN 


District  VII 


BY 
S.    O.    ANDROS 

Field  Work  by  S.  O.  Andros,  C.  M.  Young  and  J.  J-  Rutledge 


Urbana 

University  of  Illinois 

1914 


1914 


inc 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Introduction   7 

Description    of   coal    bed 1  1 

Mining  practice 14 

Systems    of    mining 14 

Ventilation    22 

Blasting  20 

Timbering  36 

Haulage    42 

Hoisting  ._ 48 

Preparation    of    coal 50 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Fig. 

1. 

Fig. 

2. 

Fig. 

3. 

Fig. 

4. 

Fig. 

5. 

Fig. 

6. 

Fig. 

7. 

Fig. 

8. 

Fig. 

9. 

Fig. 

10. 

Fig. 

11. 

Fig. 

12. 

Fig. 

13. 

Fig. 

14. 

Fig. 

15. 

Fig. 

16. 

Fig. 

17. 

Fig. 

18. 

Fig. 

19. 

Fig. 

20. 

Fig. 

21. 

Fig. 

22. 

Fig. 

23. 

Fig. 

24. 

Fig. 

25. 

Fig. 

26. 

Fig. 

27. 

Fig. 

28. 

Fig. 

29. 

Fig. 

30. 

Fig. 

31. 

Fig. 

32. 

Fig. 

33. 

Fig. 

34. 

PAGE 

Map  showing  area   of   District   VII Frontispiece 

Plan    of   room-and-pillar   mine 13 

Plan   of  panel  mine 15 

Widening  room-neck  on  both  sides 16 

Wideing  room-neck  on  one  side  only 19 

Offset  croscut 20 

Method   of  driving  crosscuts 20 

Shearing  the  ribs 23 

Channel  in  limestone  roof 25 

A   gob   stopping 26 

Mixer  and  mould  for  making  concrete  blocks 26 

Solid  concrete  blocks  for  stoppings , 27 

Arrangement  of  plant  for  making  concrete  blocks 27 

A  method   of  placing  shots  after  puncher  undercutting  machine 31 

A  method   of  placing  shots  after  puncher  undercutting  machine 32 

A  method  of  placing  shots  after  chain  undercutting  machine 32 

A  method  of  placing  shots  after  chain  undercutting  machine 33 

Result  of  buster  and  left  rib  shots 35 

Result  of  unskilfully   placed  shot 36 

Unsupported    limestone    roof 37 

Alternation  of  good  and  bad   roof 37 

Three-piece  entry  set  with   vertical  legs 38 

Three-piece  entry  set  witli  battered  legs 38 

Timbering  under  shale  roof 39 

Timbering  in   caved  area 40 

Steel   timbering 42 

Typical  propping  under  bad   roof 42 

Six-ton   gasoline    locomotive 43 

Three-ton    rack-rail    locomotive 44 

Air-lift   in   shaft   bottom 46 

Typical   shaft-bottom 48 

Inflammable  material  piled  against  frame  tipple 50 

Frame  tipple 51 

Fire-proofed  surface  plant 52 


TABLES 

No.  PAGE 

1.  General  data  for  District  VII  by  counties  for  year  ended  June  30,   1912 9 

2.  Comparative  statistics  for   District  VII  and  the  State 10 

3.  Chemical   and   physical  characteristics  of  coal 11 

4.  Roof  material  and  average  thickness  of  bed 12 

5.  Dimensions  of  workings 18 

6.  Per  capita  production  of  employees 21 

7.  Causes  of  accidents  to  employees 22 

8.  Ventilation   24 

9.  Cost  of  manufacturing  concrete  blocks 28 

10.  Cost   of   transporting   blocks   and   erecting   stopping 28 

11.  Total   cost  of  completed  stopping 28 

12.  Pressure  developed  by  face  samples  in  explosibility  apparatus 29 

13.  Mine-fires  and   methods   of  sealing-off 30 

14.  Blasting 34 

15.  Props    in    rooms 41 

16.  Ton-mileage    of    locomotives 45 

17.  Underground  haulage _ 47 

18.  Hoisting  ' 49 

19.  Preparation  of  coal  for  market 51 

20.  Power-plant    equipment 53 


Fig.    1.      Map   showing   the   area    (shaded)    of   District   VII. 


BULLETIN   OF 

ILLINOIS  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATIONS 
COOPERATIVE  AGREEMENT 

Issued  bi-monthly 
VOL.  I  May,  1914  No.   1 

COAL  MINING  PRACTICE  IN  DISTRICT  VII 

By  S.   O.   ANDROS 

Field  Work  by  S-  O.  Andros,  C.  M.  Young  and  J.  J.  Rutledge 


INTRODUCTION 

District  No.  VII  of  the  Illinois  Coal  Mining  Investigations,  as 
shown  in  fig.  1,  includes  all  mines  operating  in  coal  bed  6 
west  of  the  Duquoin  anticline  and  north  as  far  as  an  east-west 
line  about  (>  miles  south  of  Springfield.  It  comprises  the  fol- 
lowing counties:  Bond,  Clinton,  Fayette,  Macoupin,  Madison, 
Marion,  Montgomery,  Moultrie,  Randolph,  St.  Clair,  Shelby 
and  Washington,  together  with  that  portion  of  Perry  County 
west  of  the  Duquoin  anticline  and  those  portions  of  Christian 
and  Sangamon  Counties  in  which  bed  (>  is  mined.  Fayette 
county  at  present  does  not  contribute  to  the  production  of  the 
district.  Table  1  gives  general  data  for  district  VII  by  counties. 
A  detailed  description  of  the  districts  into  which  the  State 
has  been  divided  and  the  method  of  collecting  the  data  upon 
which  this  bulletin  is  based  is  contained  in  Bulletin  1,  A  Pre- 
liminary Report  on  Organization  and  Method. 

The  coal  output  of  the  district  for  the  year  ended  June  30, 
1912,  was  22,454,672  short  ions,  39.1  per  cent  of  the  total 
production  of  the  State.  This  output  came  from  196  mines, 
150  shipping  and  46  local,  employing  27,847  men  and  operating 
on  an  average  of  158  days  in  the  year.  The  number  of  employees 
was  35.1  per  cent  of  all  employed  in  coal  mining  in  the  Slate. 
The  use  of  undercutting  machines  made  possible  the  production 
of  39.1  per  cent  of  the  State's  coal  output  by  35.1  per  cent  of 
the  employees.  In  the  fiscal  year  1912,  machines  undercut 
13,558,530  tons,  60.3  per  cent  of  the  production  of  the  district. 
The  large  percentage  of  undercut  coal  produced  in  the  district 
reduces  powder  consumption.     During  (he  year  ended  June  30, 


8  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

1912,  426,353  kegs  of  powder  or  32.4  per  cent  of  the  total  powder 
consumption  of  the  State  were  used  in  the  mines  of  the  district. 
Table  2  gives  comparative  statistics  for  District  VII  and  for 
the  State  for  the  year  ended  June  30,  1912. 

The  operators  of  this  district  rendered  every  possible  as- 
sistance in  the  study  of  their  mines  and  freely  gave  all  informa- 
tion requested.  Grateful  acknowledgments  are  due  to  them  and 
to  the  superintendents  and  mine  managers  who  accompanied 
the  engineers  through  the  workings.  The  generous  help  of  the 
mine  officials  has  made  possible  the  collection  of  accurate  data 
covering  each  phase  of  mine  operation.  Especially  valuable  aid 
was  given  by  Mr.  John  H.  Boss,  Superintendent  of  the  Superior 
Coal  Company ;  Mr.  G.  E.  Lyman,  Chief  Engineer,  Madison  Coal 
Corporation;  Mr.  T.  G.  Hebenstreit,  Superintendent,  New 
Staunton  Coal  Company;  Mr.  D.  F.  Cameron,  General  Super- 
intendent, St.  Louis  and  O'Fallon  Coal  Company;  Mr.  W.  L. 
Morgan  and  Mr.  Walton  Rutledge,  State  Mine  Inspectors;  and 
Mr.  T.  C.  Wright,  County  Mine  Inspector,  St.  Clair  County. 


INTRODUCTION 


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10 


COAL   MINING   INVESTIGATIONS 


Table  2. — Comparative  statistics  for  District  VII  and  the  State 
for  the  pear  ended  June  SO,  1012. 


District 

(All  mines) 


State 
(All  mines) 


Percent 

of 
District 


Total  production  

Average   daily    tonnage 

Number  tons  mined  by  machines 

Kegs  of  powder  used  in  blasting  coal 

Average  days  of  active  operation 

Number  days'  work  performed  in  191 2 

Total  employees   

Number  surface   employees 

Number  underground  employees 

Number     face-workers     (miners,     loaders, 

and  machine  men)1 

Number  underground  employees   per   each 

surface  employee  

Number  tons  mined  per  day  per  employee- 
Number    tons    mined   per    day   per    surface 

employee    

Number    tons    mined    per    day   per    under 

ground  employee 

Number    tons    mined    per     day     per     face 

worker1  

Number  fatal  accidents 

Percent  from  falling  rock  or  coal 

Percent   from  pit  cars 

Percent  from  explosives 

Percent  from  gas   explosions 

Number  deaths  per  1000  employees 

Number  tons  mined  to  each  life  lost 

Number  non-fatal  accidents  

Percent  from  falling  rock  or  coal 

Percent  from  pit  cars 

Percent  from  use  of  explosives 

Percent  from  gas  explosions 

Number  injuries  per  1000  employees 

Number  tons  mined  to  each  man  injured.. 


22,454,672 

142,118 

13,558,530 

426,353 

158 

4,399,826 

27,847 

2,354 

25,493 

19,345 

10.8 
5-i 

60.5 

5-6 

7-3 

62 

54-8 

24.2 

6.5 

3-2 

2.3 

362,172 

285 

347 

29.5 

3.1 

1-4 

10.2 

78,788 


57,514,240 

359,464 

25,550,019 

1,313,448 

160 

12,705,760 

79,4U 

7P49 

72,362 

53,3i8 

10.3 

4-5 

50.9 

4-9 

6.7 
180 

544 
18.8 

7.2 
6.9 
2.3 
319,524 
800 

45-5 

26.3 

2.6 

2.8 

10. 1 

71,893 


39-1 

53-2 
32.4 

34-6 
35-1 
33-4 
35-3 

36.3 


34-4 


35.6 


'Shipping    mines    only. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  COAL  BED 
DESCRIPTION  OF  COAL  BED 


.11 


Bed  No.  G  of  the  Illinois  State  Geological  Survey  correlation 
in  this  district  differs  greatly  in  physical  appearance,  thick- 
ness and  chemical  composition  from  the  same  bed  on  the  east 
side  of  the  Duquoin  anticline.  Table  3  gives  average  of 
analyses1  of  58  samples  taken  in  1G  mines  in  the  district  east 
of  the  Duquoin  anticline,  and  of  7G  samples  taken  in  25  mines 
in  District  VII. 

Table  3. — Chemical  and  physical  characteristics  of  coal  in  bed 
6.  Districts  VI  and  VII. 


Proximate  analysis  of  coal 

i  st;  "As  reed."  with  total 

6 

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id  ^ 

be   o 

03      O 

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>    o 

< 

ca 

6 

moisture.    2nd ;    "Dry"   or 
moisture   free 

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W* 

pq 

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s 

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en 

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2 

*S   0 

< 

0 

"5 

VI     (East 

of   Duquoin 

9 

58 

9.21 

34-00 

48.08 

8.71 

i-53 

1 1825 

anticline) 

Dry 

3745 

52.96 

9-59 

1.68 

13025 

14585 

VII 

7 

76 

12.56      38.05      39.06      10.33 

4.01 

9848 

Dry    |  43.52  |  44.67  |    1 1. 81 

4-59 

12406 

14377 

In  District  VII  the  No.  6  coal  does  not  have  the  bright 
luster  of  the  ^NTo.  6  coal  to  the  east  of  the  Duquoin  anticline. 
The  thickness  varies  from  2%  to  14  feet,  averaging  7  feet. 
The  bed  is  characterized  by  its  numerous  dirt  and  sulphur 
bands  of  which  the  most  persistent  throughout  the  district  is 
the  "blue  band"  of  hard  dark  gray  or  black  shale  from  U>  inch 
to  4  inches  thick  situated  in  places  6  inches  above  the  floor, 
but  at  an  average  height  of  48  inches.  Bands  of  pyrites  from  y2 
inch  to  4  inches  thick  are  located  at  varying  heights  in  the 
bed;  in  places  are  other  bands  of  impurities  called  by  the 
miner  "steel  band",  "nine-inch  band",  or  "dirt  band"  according 
to  their  hardness  and  location.  There  is  a  well-defined  parting 
plane  in  the  coal  about  48  inches  from  the  roof.  The  upper 
bench  or  "top  coal"  is  left  where  the  roof  is  black  shale  and 
where  the  coal  is  7  feet  thick  or  over.    The  roof  is  either  a  non- 

1Analyses  made  by  J.  M.  Lindgren  under  the  direction  of  Prof.  S.  W.  Parr, 
Department  of  Applied  Chemistry,  University  of    Illinois, 


12 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


calcareous  black  shale,  a  calcareous  gray  shale  called  locally 
white-top  or  soapstone,  an  unconsolidated  dark-gray  or  black 
shale  called  clod  made  up  of  fragments  of  varying  size  and 
hardness  extremely  difficult  to  support,  or  a  hard  gray 
limestone  called  "rock  top".  A  poorly  denned  cleat  or  cleavage 
in  the  coal  may  be  seen  in  some  places.  Table  4  gives  for  each 
mine  inspected  in  District  VII  the  kinds  of  roof  found  in  the 
workings  and  the  average  thickness  of  coal. 

The  floor  throughout  the  district  is  a  fireclay  which  gen- 
erally heaves  when  wet. 


Table  4. — Roof  material  and  average  thickness  of  bed. 


No. 


Material  of  roof 


Average  thickness  of  coal 
in  feet 


66 
6/ 
68 
69 
70 
7i 
72 
73 
74 
75 
76 
77 
78 
79 
80 
81 
82 
83 
84 
85 
86 

87 
88 
89 
90 


Shale,  limestone 

Clod,  shale,  limestone. 

Shale 

Clod,  shale,  limestone. 
Clod,  shale,  limestone. 

Shale,  limestone 

Shale,  limestone 

Shale,  limestone 

Shale,  limestone 

Clod,  shale,  limestone. 

Shale,  limestone 

Shale,  limestone 

Clod,  shale,  limestone. 
Clod,  shale,  limestone. 

Shale,  limestone 

Clod,  shale,  limestone. 
Clod,  shale,  limestone. 
Clod,  shale,  limestone. 
Clod,  shale,  limestone. 

Limestone 

Shale,  limestone 

Shale,  limestone 

Clod,  shale,  limestone. 

Shale 

Shale 


7 
8 

7 

m 

6 
6 

7Va 

8 

7 

8 

6/2 

6/2 

6 

7'A 

ey2 

6 

8 
8 
6 

6y2 
sH 

7 

6y2 


DESCRIPTION   OF  COAL  BED 


13 


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Fig.  2.     Plan  of  room-and-pillar  mine. 


14  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

MINING  PRACTICE 


As  bed  No.  6  of  this  district  lies  at  considerable  depth  the 
coal  is  generally  reached  by  shafts.  The  number  of  drift  and 
slope  mines  totals  six.  The  coal  lies  at  greatest  depth  near  Cen- 
tralia  where  it  has  707  feet  of  overlying  strata. 

SYSTEMS   OF   MINING 

The  usual  projection  in  the  district  is  according  to  the  un- 
modified double  entry  room-and-pillar  system  as  shown  in 
Hg.  2,  but  there  are  many  mines  worked  on  the  panel  system. 
(See  fig.  3).  An  occasional  instance  of  main  triple  entries  is 
found.  The  district  has  several  mines  with  highly  developed 
mining  methods  adapted  to  Illinois  beds. 

As  naturally  would  be  expected,  the  more  highly  developed 
practice  is  found  at  mines  recently  established.  The  occasional 
instance  of  panel  working  in  old  mines  is  where  the  mining 
system  has  recently  been  changed  from  room-and-pillar. 

In  general,  entries  and  rooms  are  driven  wider  under  rock 
top  than  under  shale  roof.  Varied  roof  conditions  often  make 
necessary  different  entry  and  room  widths  in  different  sections 
of  a  mine.  In  many  mines  the  entries  and  rooms  under  rock 
top  are  too  wide  and  the  pillars  too  narrow — a  condition  that 
has  brought  about  squeezes  which  sometimes  even  jeopardized 
the  shaft.  Main  entries  35  feet  wide  in  which  no  timbering  was 
done  were  found.  In  one  mine  room  pillars  were  so  gouged 
under  rock  top  that  on  65-foot  room  centers  the  dimensions 
were:  room  width,  55  feet;  room  pillar  width,  10  feet.  In  two 
mines  squeezes  causing  surface  subsidence  occurred  in  sec- 
tions where  rooms  Avere  30  feet  wide  and  room  pillars  5  feet 
wide.  In  13  of  the  25  mines  examined  in  this  district  squeezes 
have  occurred;  they  generally  began  in  a  section  of  which  the 
roof  was  limestone.  In  mines  where  the  rooms  are  not  fre- 
quently surveyed  there  is  no  definite  knowledge  of  room  pillar 
width  except  at  crosscuts.  A  blow-through  from  a  room  into 
the  one  adjacent  is  not  uncommon. 

In  some  parts  of  the  district  joints  in  the  roof  prevent 
easy  working  and  in  fact  will  cause  it  to  fall  badly  when 
rooms  or  any  wide  workings  are  driven  north  or  south.  The 
cleat  in  the  coal  usually  is  not  strongly  enough  marked  to 
make  a  perceptible  difference  between  driving  on  the  butt  or 


MINING   PRACTICE 


15 


Fig.   3.     Plan  of  panel  mine. 


16 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


on  the  face;  but  in  several  mines  to  avoid  excessive  roof  falls 
rooms  are  turned  only  to  the  east  or  west. 

An  unusual  condition  in  one  mine  causes  lack  of  stability 
of  entry-and-room-pillars  when  gouged.  Under  the  coal  the  fire- 
clay, which  is  rather  soft  and  6  feet  thick  in  places,  has  in  it  large 
round  boulders  harder  than  the  general  mass  of  clay.     Where 


h~2l'-0"~H 

Fig.  4.     Widening  room-neck  on  both  sides. 


these  boulders  are  located  under  pillars  they  present  uneven 
bearing  surfaces  and  the  pillars  break  as  the  roof  weight  comes 
on  them. 

Table  5  gives  dimensions  of  workings  at  each  mine  ex- 
amined. 

This  table  shows  that  a  very  low  percentage  of  the  coal 
in  the  bed  is  brought  to  the  surface.     The  average  per  cent  of 


MIXING   PRACTICE  17 

recovery  for  the  district  is  55;  that  is  45  per  cent  of  the  coal 
in  the  bed  is  left  in  the  mine  and  probably  will  not  be  recovered 
in  the  future.  The  figures  for  percentage  of  coal  gained  were 
obtained  from  the  books  of  the  operating  companies.  Because 
of  the  large  area  of  this  district,  the  failure  to  bring  to  the 
surface  a  proper  percentage  of  the  coal  in  the  bed  is  a  matter 
for  serious  consideration.  A  contributing  cause  of  this  waste 
of  natural  resources  is  the  fear  of  bringing  about  surface  sub- 
sidence and  attendant  damage  suits.  It  would  probably  be 
economy  for  the  operating  companies  to  purchase  the  surface 
overlying  the  coal  to  be  removed.  Pillars  could  then  be  robbed 
and  30  per  cent  more  of  the  coal  bed  could  be  recovered. 

In  turning  rooms  off  the  entries  the  width  of  room  neck, 
its  length  to  the  point  where  widening  begins,  and  the  distance 
required  to  reach  full  room  width  vary  with  each  mine  and 
often  in  different  sections  of  the  same  mine.  It  is  impracticable 
to  maintain  the  same  width  of  room  neck  under  a  black 
shale  roof  as  that  left  under  limestone  top  which  requires  no 
support  for  spans  less  than  30  feet.  The  width  of  crosscuts  in 
entry  pillars  and  in  room  pillars  also  varies  for  each  mine.  In 
24  of  these  25  mines  widening  to  full  room  width  was  done 
both  to  the  right  and  left  at  an  angle  of  45  degrees  after  the 
room  neck  was  driven  as  shown  in  fig.  4.  In  one  mine  the 
right  side  of  the  neck  was  continued  as  the  right  rib  of  the 
room,  and  widening  was  done  to  the  left  at  an  angle  of  45  de- 
grees.    See  fig.  5. 

Before  -Inly  1,  1013,  on  which  date  a  new  provision  of  the 
State  law  required  the  first  crosscut  between  rooms  on  any 
entry  to  be  not  more  than  60  feet  distant  from  the  rib  of  the 
entry,  the  first  crosscut  through  the  pillar  on  one  side  of  a 
room  was  often  driven  at  a  distance  of  bnt  50  feet  from  the 
entry,  and  the  first  through  the  opposite  pillar  at  a  distance  of 
80  feet.  It  was  generally  supposed  that  after  the  working  had 
extended  beyond  the  crosscut  this  method  furnished  more  air 
to  the  face  than  that  of  having  crosscuts  directly  opposite  each 
other.  Besides,  the  staggered  crosscuts  left  a  shorter  unsup- 
ported roof. 

To  avoid  paying  yardage  in  driving  crosscuts  between  main 
and  back  entries  and  between  cross  entries,  in  one  mine  cross- 
cuts are  not  driven  full  width  completely  through  the  pillar. 
Narrow  work  is  avoided  and  danger  of  squeeze  reduced,  as 
shown  in  fig.  0,  by  offsetting  the  crosscut.     In  another  mine 


18 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


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MINING   PRACTICE 


19 


narrow  work  is  avoided  and  a  small  stopping  provided  for  as 
shown  in  fig.  7.  The  crosscut  is  driven  its  full  width  of  21 
feet  from  one  entry,  while  from  the  other  of  the  pair  it  is 
driven  only  G  feet  wide  for  a  distance  of  12  feet.  A  large  area 
of  unsupported  roof  is  left  where  this  method  is  followed.    An 


Fig.  5.     Widening  room-neck  on  one  side  only. 


occasional  instance  of  sheering  the  rib  is  found  in  the  district, 
although  the  occurrence  is  not  general.  Shearing  in  a  crosscut 
near  an  air  shaft  is  shown  in  fig.  S.  At  this  mine  all  narrow 
hand  work  is  driven  S  feet  wide,  and  all  machine  narrow  work 
10  feet  wide. 

In  10  of  the  mines  examined  in  the  district  top  coal  was 
left  where  the  immediate  roof  over  the  coal  was  thick  black 
shale.  Top  coal  prevents  variations  of*  temperature  and  hu- 
midity from  affecting  the  shale  of  the  roof  proper,  which  spalls 
badly  when  exposed  to  the  air.  As  a  rule  when  no  top  coal  is 
left  this  black  shale  falls  with  the  coal  or  is  drawn.  When 
there  is  less  than  four  inches  of  shale  between  the  coal  and  the 
limestone  the  shale  is  drawn.  Where  the  latter  is  over  4  inches 
thick  it  is  propped  in  some  mines,  but  in  others  is  drawn  unless 
it  is  over  2  feet  thick. 


20 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


The  per  capita  production  of  employees  of  the  district  is 
high  compared  with  that  of  the  remainder  of  the  State  be- 
cause surface  roustabout  work  is  well  systematized,  and  be- 
cause so  large  a  percentage  of  the  total  production  of  the  dis- 


Fig.    6.      Offset   crosscut. 

trict  is  undercut  by  machines.  In  Table  6  are  compared  for 
the  State,  district,  and  for  each  mine,  items  connecting  daily 
production  with  number  of  employees. 

The  accident  record  of  the  district  is  consistent  with  its 
production;  34.4  per  cent  of  the  fatal  accidents  in  the  State  and 
35.G  per  cent  of  those  non-fatal  occurred  during  the  year  ended 


50'-  o 


Fig.   7.     Method  of  driving  crosscuts. 


June  30,  1912;  while  in  the  district  was  produced  39.1  per 
cent  of  the  coal  output  of  the  State.  A  greater  percentage  of 
the  fatal  and  non-fatal  accidents  in  the  district  is  caused  by 
pit  cars  than  in  the  remaining  districts  combined;  the  ratio 
for  fatal  accidents  from  this  cause  being  24.2  to  16.1  and  for 
non-fatal  accidents,  29.5  to  24.4. 


MINING    PRACTICE 


21 


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COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATION 


Table  7  compares  causes  of  accidents  for  District  VII  and 
for  the  other  districts  of  the  State  combined. 


Table  7. — Causes 

of  accidents  to  employees.1 

Causes  of  fatal  accidents 

Percentage 

District  VTI 

All  other  districts  combined 

Fall  of  rock  or  coal 

54-8 

24.2 

6.5 

3.2 

347 

29.5 

3-1 

1.4 

55-1 
16.1 

Pit   cars    

Use    of    explosives 

7.0 
8-5 

49.6 

24.4 

2.3 

3-7 

Gas  explosions  

Cause  of  non-fatal  accidents 

Fall  of  rock  or  coal 

Pit  cars  

Use  of  explosives 

Gas  explosions  

'Compiled   from   the   Thirty-first   Annual   Coal   Report   of   Illinois. 


VENTILATION. 


Generally  throughout  the  district  ventilation  is  adequate; 
in  the  mines  of  large  production  the  quantity  of  air  at  the  face 
is  always  ample.  The  necessity  of  providing  unusually  large 
quantities  of  air  to  the  working  face  is  eliminated  on  account 
of  the  small  amount  of  gas  found  in  the  workings.  In  13  of 
the  25  mines  examined  no  explosive  gas  was  found ;  only  traces 
of  it  Avere  found  in  the  other  12.  Generally  it  is  present  in 
minute  quantities  and  usually  at  "slips"  or  in  ancient  water 
channels  in  the  roof.  Fig.  9  shows  a  channel  which  acts  as 
a  drain  for  gas  and  water.  Gas  is  found  at  no  other  point  in 
the  workings.  This  channel  which  is  just  below  the  roof  is 
about  8  inches  deep  and  20  feet  wide  and  runs  throughout 
the  mine. 

Water  gages,  which  were  in  more  general  use  in  this  dis- 
trict than  in  any  other  in  the  State  at  the  time  field  data  were 
collected,  were  installed  in  six  of  the  mines  examined  with  an 
indicated  pressure-difference  between  intake  and  return  vary- 
ing from  i/o-inch  to  iy2  inches.  The  difference  in  pressure  be- 
tween the  intake  and  return  air-currents  can  be  read  directly 
on  the  water  gage ;  short-circuiting  of  the  current  on  account  of 
sudden  stopping,  leaks,  or  obstructions  in  the  air  course  can 
be  detected,  and  the  defect  in  circulation  remedied  at  once 
before  the  supply  of  air  at  the  working  face  has  been  long 
deficient.  Water  gages  are  now  required  at  every  mine  by  a 
wise  provision  of  the  new  State  mining  law. 


MINING  PRACTICE 


23 


Thirty  readings  from  a  sling  psychrometer  at  working  faces 
in  the  mines  examined  gave  an  average  of  93  per  cent  for  sum- 
mer relative  humidity  of  air  at  the  face,  and  an  average  temper- 
ature of  66  degrees  F.  Hygrometer  readings  taken  three  times 
daily  throughout  the  year  gave  for  the  return  air  an  average 
relative  humidity  of  92  per  cent  in  winter  and  97  per  cent 
in  summer.  The  average  return  air  temperature  was  62  de- 
grees in  winter. 

Artificial  humidification  for  the  prevention  of  coal  dust 
explosions  is  not  done  in  this  district.  Sprinkling  the  roads 
is  of  little  value  in  increasing  the  relative  humidity  of  mine 


fii  \ 


Fig.   8.      Shearing  the  ribs. 


air,  but  does,  however,  make  the  work  of  mules  easier  by 
temporarily  lessening  the  amount  of  dust  thrown  up  by  the 
passage  of  cars  and  by  the  feet  of  men  and  animals.  Table  8 
gives  for  each  mine  examined  data  covering  ventilation.  The 
average  size  of  air-shaft  for  the  mines  examined  is  7  by  12  feet. 
The  air-shaft  at  each  mine  is  timber  lined. 

In  the  mines  of  smaller  production  in  this  district  where 
gob  stoppings  with  unplastered  faces  are  generally  used  it  is 
seldom  possible  to  obtain  actual  cost  of  stopping  building  be- 
cause a  segregated  expense  account  is  seldom  kept.  For  this 
reason  the  impression  prevails  thai  gob  stoppings  are  the  cheap- 
est.   At  one  mine  a  gob  stopping  G  feet  thick  in  a  crosscut  21 


24 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


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MINING  PRACTICE 


25 


feet  wide  and  7  feet  high  was  built  at  an  estimated  labor  cost  of 
5.4  cents  per  square  foot  of  face.  Cost  of  transportation  of 
material  could  not  be  estimated.  At  another  mine  a  gob  stop- 
ping 12  feet  thick  was  built  in  a  crosscut  7y2  feet  high  and  25 
feet  wide  at  an  estimated  labor  cost  of  7  cents  per  square  foot 
of  face,  not  including  cost  of  transportation  of  material.  Fig. 
10  shows  a  well-built  gob  stopping  20  feet  thick  in  a  crosscut 
7%  feet  high  and  13  feet  wide.  The  shale  retaining  wall  is  2 
feet  thick  and  6  feet  high.     The  slack,  fireclay  and  shale  that 


^ 


Fig.  9.     Channel  in  limestone  roof. 

make  up  the  body  of  the  stopping  are  lamped  as  building 
progresses.  After  the  stopping  lias  been  in  place  one  month  and 
the  material  of  which  it  is  built  has  settled,  more  fireclay  is 
tamped  in  along  the  top. 

At  one  mine  stoppings  are  built  of  shiplap  with  shale, 
slack  and  fireclay  banked  on  each  side  of  the  lumber  stopping. 

In  a  few  mines  of  the  district  concrete  is  used  for  stopping 


26  COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATION 

material.  The  system  for  making  concrete  blocks  is  very  efficient 


Fig.  10.     A  gob  stopping. 

at  one  of  the  mines.    The  blocks  which  are  made  on  the  surface, 
are  proportioned  as  follows:    1  Portland  cement;  4  crushed 


Fig.   11.     Mixer  and  mould  for  making  concrete  blocks. 

cinders.    The  mould  makes  with  one  filling  a  block  8  by  8  by  16 


MINING  PRACTICE 


2? 


'k^rfe^S 


Fig.    12.     Solid  concrete  blocks  for  stoppings. 


Block  Truck 


II 


Block  Machine 


MIXER 


Crusher 


HOUSE 


CINDER  BIN 


u 


Cinder  Conveyor 


BOILER  HOUSE 


Fig.   13.     Arrangement  of  plant  for  making  concrete  Llocks      (After  Ross). 


28 


COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATION 


inches  and  another  8  by  8  by  8  inches.  Two  men  can  make  300 
moulds  per  day,  which  is  equivalent  to  450  blocks  8  by  8  by  16 
inches,  as  the  300  smaller  block  are  equal  to  150  of  the  larger. 
The  mixer  and  mould  are  illustrated  in  fig.  11  and  fig.  12 
shows  the  blocks  as  they  come  from  the  mould.  The  arrange- 
ment of  the  plant  is  shown  in  fig.  13.  A  cinder  crusher  delivers 
cinders  under  1^4 -inch  mesh  and  a  6  H.  P.  Westinghouse  motor 
operates  the  crusher  and  the  mixer  which  handles  1/5  of  a  cubic 
yard  per  batch.  The  cost  of  manufacturing  concrete  blocks  at 
this  mine  is  given  in  Table  9.     The  costs  as  given  in  Table  9 


Table  9. 

— Cost  in  cents  of  manufacturing  concrete  blocks. 

Labor  cost 
per  block 

Material  cost 
per  block 

Total  cost 
per  block 

Square  feet 

of  face  per 

block 

Cost  per  square 
foot  of  face 

1.08 

3-88 

4.96 

0.888 

5.58 

include  delivery  at  the  pit  mouth.  To  obtain  a  proper  set  the 
blocks  are  ripened  on  the  surface  for  two  weeks.  To  estimate 
the  cost  of  a  stopping  in  place,  costs  of  material  transportation 
from  the  top  to  the  required  location  in  the  mine  and  of  stop- 
ping construction  must  be  considered.    Table  10  gives  detailed 

Table  10. — Cost  of  transporting  blocks  and  erecting  a  ninety- 
block  stopping,  8  by  10  feet. 


h  X 


3    a 

CO     u 

o 

In 


■E   S   c   S 


PL< 


—       — 

.jH      ^ 


co 


C 

o  .2  j=  £ 

U      -t"J  ** 

ifl    i!     u  O 
OKU? 

u  g  £  ^ 

o 


co     cfl    -r)      _, 
w     O     c^    "- 


3    o    c 


.2  +->  co  O 

Jrt  V)  4J  rt 

3  O  G  ,0 

pq  o  <u 


$7i 


$2.62 

(2  men  for 

4  hours) 


$.70 

(2  sacks 

cement  $.60: 

sand  $.10) 


$4-03 


5.04 


448 


cost  of  erecting  a  stopping  8  by  10  feet.     Table  11  gives  total 
cost  for  the  stopping  in  place.     As  will  be  seen  by  Tables  9, 


Table  11. — (Total  cost  of  completed  stopping. 

Per  square  foot  of 
surface 

Per  block 

Cost  of  manufacture  in  cents 

Cost  of  building  in  cents 

5-58 

5.04 

10.62 

4.96 
4.48 

Total  laid  cost  in  cents 

9-44 

10,  and  11  a  tight  stopping  8  inches  thick  is  provided  at  a  cost 
of  10.6  cents  per  square  foot. 


MINING  PRACTICE 


20 


Because  there  is  not  much  gas  in  the  workings  the  district 
has  had  comparative  freedom  from  large  fires.  Except  in  the 
largest  producing  and  most  carefully  operated  mines,  precau- 
tions against  fire  which  are  considered  necessary  in  the  mines 
east  of  the  Duquoin  anticline  are  not  taken. 

The  coal  dust  of  this  district  is  moderately  explosive  when 
fine,  dry,  and  unadulterated  by  shale  dust.  The  average  press- 
ure developed  by  the  coal  dust  of  the  face-samples  when  ground 
to  200-niesh,  air-dried,  and  tested  in  the  explosibility  apparatus 
at  Urbana  is  compared  in  Table  12  with  the  pressures  devel- 
oped by  the  coal  dust  of  other  districts. 

Table  12. — Pressure  developed  bij  dust  face  samples  in  explosi- 

bility  apparatus. 


Pressure  in  pounds  per  square  inch 

District 

No 

Samples 

at  21920  F. 

I 

ii 

8.400 

II 

5 

5.880 

III 

5 

7-805 

IV 

i/ 

7.700 

V 

7 

7.105 

VI 

16 

5950 

VII 

24 

7.175 

VIII 

6 

8.925 

In  many  mines  an  unnecessary  liability  of  fire  is  added  by 
allowing  comparatively  large  quantities  of  lubricating  oil  to  be 
stored  in  the  run-around  or  at  other  points  near  the  shaft. 
In  one  mine  two  full  barrels  of  oil  and  .''our  empties  were  kept 
within  25  feet  of  the  main  hoisting  shaft,  while  200  feet  away 
were  stored  two  full  and  three  empty  barrels. 

Fifteen  of  the  twenty -five  mines  had  small  fires  originating 
from  various  causes  but  principally  occurring  after  shots  or  in 
the  gob.  Table  13  gives  data  in  regard  to  fires  for  each  mine. 
Gob  fires  are  so  frequent  in  one  mine  that  every  fourth  room 
pillar  is  left  solid  without  crosscuts  so  that  never  more  than 
four  rooms  can  be  affected  by  any  fire  which  requires  seeing  off. 

One  mine  has  had  three  stable  fires,  two  of  Avhich  were 
caused  by  cap  lamps.  At  some  mines  proper  care  is  not  ob- 
served in  the  transportation  of  hay  from  the  surface  to  the  un- 
derground stables.  In  only  a  few  mines  in  the  district  are 
mules  stabled  on  the  surface.  The  practice  of  stabling  the  ani- 
mals underground  increases  the  fire-risk. 

KLASTING. 

Undercutting   machines  are   much   used   in   District  VII, 


30 


OOAL  MINING  INVESTIGATION 


60.3  per  cent  of  the  coal  output  during  the  year  ended  June  30, 
1912,  having  been  undercut.    In  twenty  of  the  mines  examined 

Table   13. — Mine  fyrers   mid  methods  of   sealing '-off '. 


Mine 
No. 

Has  mine 
had  fires? 

Fires  originated 
where? 

Was 
sealing  off 
necessary? 

Kind  of  seals 

At    face   after   shots 

66 

Yes 

1   In  gob 

Yes 

Shiplap  and  cement  mortar 

67 

Yes 

At    face   after   shots 

In  gob 

Yes 

Gob 

68 

Yes 

At    face    after   shots 

Yes 

Gob  with  concrete  facing 

69 

Yes 

In  gob 

Yes 

Brick 

70 

Yes 

In  gob 

Yes 

Gob 

71 

Yes 

At    face    after    shots 

No 

72 

Yes 

At    face    after    shots 

No 

73 

Yes 

At    face    after    shots 

No 

74 

Yes 

In  gob 

Yes 

Gob  with  concrete  facing 

75 

Yes 

In  gob 

Yes 

Gob  with  concrete  facing 

76 

Yes 

In  gob 

Yes 

Cement  blocks 

77 

Yes 

At    face    after    shots 
In  gob 

No 

78 

No 

79 

No 

80 

Yes 

At    face   after    shots 

Yes 

Shiplap  plastered  with  clay 

81 

No 

82 

No 

83 

No 

84 

No 

85 

Yes 

In  gob 

At    face   after   shots 

Yes 

Double   concrete-block  wall 

86 

No 

87 

Yes 

At   face   after   shots 

Yes 

Brick 

88 

No 

89 

No 

90 

No 

undercutting  machines  are  used,  although  in  some  parts  of 
these  mines  the  coal  is  shot  off  the  solid.  Both  chain  and 
puncher  machines  are  installed  in  three  mines,  chain  machines 
only  in  ten,  and  punchers  only  in  seven.  The  number  of  tons 
of  coal  gained  per  shift  of  8  hours  averages  140  per  chain 
machine  and  71  for  punchers. 

The  following  method  of  supplying  air  to  puncher  machines 
is  typical :  From  the  surface  9-inch  mains  run  down  the  pipe- 
way  in  the  shaft  to  a  receiver  placed  300  feet  from  the  bottom 
of  the  shaft.  From  the  receiver  a  6-inch  line  is  run  to  the  face 
of  the  main  entries.     This  6-inch  line  is  tapped  by  a  3-inch 


MINING  PttACttlCE 


31 


branch  running  to  each  pair  of  cross  entries;  a  1%-inch  pipe 
carries  the  air  from  these  3-inch  branches  to  the  rooms. 

In  many  mines  in  the  district  additional  hand-snubbing  is 
done  after  chain  machines  and  is  sometimes  extended  to  a  height 
of  30  inches  above  the  floor  at  the  face.  Usually  the  machine 
cuttings  are  loaded  out  before  firing,  but  in  a  few  mines  the 
dangerous  practice  of  shooting  before  loading  out  is  permitted. 

The  positions  of  drill-holes  are  different  at  each  mine  and 
their  number  varies  between  wide  limits.  At  one  mine  in  rooms 
29  feet  wide  in  which  puncher  undercutting  machines  have  been 
used,  only  two  holes  two  feet  from  the  rib  and  20  inches  from  the 


— 

- 

— 

rajHpipi 

m  1 520- 

Biuedand 

2-0'ivjP   12" 

P5S&LJ 

■■F™™- 

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U5'.0"J 
SIDE 

PLAN 

Fig.    14.      A   method    of   placing   shots   after    puncher    undercutting   machine. 


roof  are  drilled,  as  shown  in  fig.  14.  Figs.  14  to  17,  inclusive, 
show  various  methods  of  placing  the  holes. 

In  the  mines  Avhere  shooting  off  the  solid  is  practiced  the 
shooting  is  done  off  the  weak  rib,  that  is,  off  the  rib  presenting 
the  greater  area  of  free  surface,  as  is  the  custom  throughout  the 
State.  The  difference  in  amount  of  powder  required  for  shooting 
off  the  solid  and  for  undercut  coal  is  illustrated  at  one  mine 
where  one  keg  of  powder  gains  30  tons  of  coal  with  solid  shoot- 
ing and  90  tons  after  puncher  undercutting. 

Black  powder  is  used  exclusively  at  each  of  the  25  mines 
inspected.  Black  powder  is  an  intimate  mixture  of  sodium 
nitrate,  sulphur,  and  charcoal.     Its  explosive  effect  is  caused  by 


32 


COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATION 


the  sudden  liberation  of  gases  produced  by  the  combustion  of 
the  powder  grains.  The  full  force  of  the  explosion  develops 
much   more   slowly   than   in   dynamite,    which   detonates.     In 


f 


18":;A  ^ 14'- 0" J 

1  r     ^Blueoand 


FRONT 


PLAN 

Fig.    15.      A    method    of    placing   shots    after    puncher   undercutting   machine. 


black  powder  the  speed  of  combustion  and  consequent  liberation 
of  gases  and  development  of  explosive  force  is  in  proportion  to 
the  sizes  of    grains    as    manufactured.     The    standard    sizes 


i 


~!2" 
18"'     ^Blueband 


_i>12*  12 

T^Hand  Snubbing     18" 


H 


FRONT 


SIDE 


PLAN 

Fig.    16.      A   method   of   placing    shots   after   chain   undercutting   machine. 


according  to  the  Revised  Mining  Statutes  of  Illinois  vary  from 
the  largest — which  pass  through  a  screen  having  round  perfo- 
rations 40/04-inch  in  diameter — to  the  smallest,  which  pass 
through  5/G4-inch  round  holes  but  not  through  2/64-inch  ones. 


MINING   PRACTICE 


33 


The  grades  are  labeled  CCC,  CC,  C,  F,  FF,  FFF,  and  FFFF, 
in  order  of  size ;  CCC  being  the  largest  and  FFFF  the  smallest. 
The  larger  the  grain,  the  slower  combustion  proceeds  and  the 
slower  does  the  force  of  the  explosion  develop.     The  sizes  in 


IF7 


18"      Blueband 


2,'-0' 

3™ 


*>2'-  6' 


gl 


15 

T 


FRONT 


Fig.    17.     A   method   of   placing   shots   after   chain   undercutting    mac 


ordinary  use  in  Illinois  range  from  CC  to  FF.  Size  C  was  used 
in  10  of  the  mines  examined;  CC  and  C  in  1  mine;  CC  in  2 
mines;  C  and  F  in  2  mines;  F  in  8  mines;  and  FF  in  only  2 
mines.  In  a  comparatively  soft  material  like  coal  it  is  obvious 
that  FF,  a  "quick"  powder  will  have  a  greater  shattering  effect 
than  the  coarse-grained  CC  which  rends  more  than  it  shatters. 
With  a  quick  powder  too  much  slack  coal  is  made,  but  since  the 
gross-weight  law  went  into  effect  FF  is  the  favorite  powder 
with  the  miners.  The  waste  of  coal  resulting  from  its  improper 
use  in  too  large  quantities  lias  been  very  great.  This  is  espec- 
ially true  in  undercut  coal  where  the  size  of  the  powder  is 
usually  too  small  and  the  weight  of  the  charge  too  great.  The 
result  of  the  use  of  coarse  powder  in  this  district  is  shown  by 
the  percentage  of  lump  coal  produced.  The  general  use  of 
undercutting  machines  affects  this  result,  but  the  percentage  of 
lump  is  greater  in  this  district  than  in  others  where  the  coal  is 
undercut  but  a  finer  powder  used. 

The  transportation  of  powder  from  the  top  to  the  face 
according  to  the  general  practice  throughout  the  State  is  done 
in  open  pit  cars.     A  more  careful  handling  of  powder  during 


34 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


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MINING   PRACTICE 


35 


This  need  is  empha- 
powder    distribution 


its  distribution  to  the  miners  is  desirable, 
sized  by  an  occasional  explosion  during 
with  attendant  loss  of  life. 

Paper  powder  kegs  were  not  used  in  this  district  and  the 
custom,  prevalent  in  all  districts,  of  driving  a  pick-point 
through  the  head  of  the  steel  keg  to  facilitate  pouring  out  the 
powder  after  half  or  more  of  it  has  been  used  is  common.  Fatal 
accidents  often  result  from  the  miners'  practice  of  loading  car- 
tridges while  their  lamps  are  on  their  caps. 


Fig.   18.     Result  <>f  busier  and  left 


shots. 


Only  (S  of  the  25  mines  employed  shot-firers.  To  dispense 
with  them  in  Illinois  mines  requires  the  restriction  of  the  weight 
of  a  charge  of  powder  to  two  pounds.  In  many  cases  this  restric- 
tion is  not  observed.  By  relying  on  large  quantities  of  powder 
per  round  the  miners  are  becoming  less  skillful  in  placing 
their  shots.  In  fig.  18  the  result  of  a  buster  and  a  left  rib 
shot  is  shown.  The  large  block  of  coal  in  the  immediate  left 
fore-ground  was  blown  27  feet  from  the  face.  These  shots 
were  fired  after  undercutting  by  a  puncher  machine.  Fig.  19 
shows  the  result  of  an  unskillfnlly  placed  shot;  the  pot  hole 
in  the  face  is  distinctly  shown.  The  ten-inch  block  of  coal  in 
the  foreground  Avas  blown  35  feet  from  the  face. 

Tough  fireclay  makes  the  best  tamping  material,  but  as  it  is 
easier  to  use  bug-dust,  i.  e.,  pick  or  machine  cuttings  for  filling 
dummies  than  to  dig  clay  from  the  floor,  the  practice  of  using 
bug-dust  for  tamping  is  common  through  the  district.     It  will 


36 


COAL  MINING  INVESTIGATION 


almost  always  be  used  for  this  purpose  wherever  the  miners 
are  allowed  to  load  and  fire  their  own  shots. 

Table  14  gives  figures  on  the  use  of  powder  and  method 
of  shooting  at  each  of  the  25  mines.  The  figures  for  the  tons 
of  coal  gained  per  keg  of  powder  and  for  the  percentage  of  lump 
over  1%  inches  were  supplied  by  the  operators  of  the  various 
mines.  The  size  iy±  inches  has  been  used  for  each  district  in 
order  to  have  a  comparison  of  the  percentage  made  throughout 
the  State. 


l^r,  *  * 


Fig.   19.     Result  of  unskillfully   placed  shot. 


TIMBERING 


Nearly  all  mines  in  the  district  have  large  sections  of  the 
workings  under  limestone  roof  called  rock-top,  which  for  reason- 
able spans  requires  no  support,  as  shown  by  the  entry  in  fig.  20. 
It  is  seldom,  however,  that  all  the  workings  in  a  mine  are  under 
limestone.  Usually  some  parts  have  a  clod  roof  with  such 
slight  cohesion  that  it  often  breaks  at  the  prop ;  in  other  parts 
is  a  black  shale  roof  also  difficult  of  support  and  in  places 
drawn  when  not  thicker  than  four  inches.  The  alternation  of 
a  good  and  bad  roof  as  shown  in  fig.  21  is  productive  of  many 
accidents. 

In  some  mines  the  roof  along  the  entries  is  supported  by 
props  only. 

Entry  sets  are  usually  made  up  with  timber  collars  and 


MINING   PRACTICE 


37 


legs.     Steel  I-beam  collars  are  rarely  used.     The  three-piece 
entry  set  has  either  vertical  legs,  as  shown  in  fig.  22  or  battered 


Fig.  20.     Unsupported  limestone  roof. 

legs,  as  shown  in  fig.  23.     Occasional  examples  are  found  of 
one  leg  and  a  crossbar  with  an  end  resting  in  a  hitch  cut  in  the 


mm 


Fig.   21.      Alteration   of   good  and  bad   roof. 

rib.     A  common  relation   between  diameters  of  timber  cross- 
bars and  length  of  span  is  as  follows: 


38 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


Span  in  feet 
8 
10 

12 

14 
16 
18 


Diameter  of  crossbar  in  inches 
4 
6 


About  one  per  cent  of  the  average  shipment  of  props  is 
white  oak,  the  remainder  consisting  of  red  oak,  water  oak,  elm, 


8'-0 


Fig.   22.     Three-piece  entry  set  with  vertical  legs. 


hickory  and  hemlock.  It  is  becoming  increasingly  difficult  in 
the  district  to  obtain  good  timber.  Because  of  the  frequent 
failure  of  that  used  for  crossbars  the  substitution  of  steel 
I-beams  as  beins:  safer  and  more  economical  is  sim'^ested.     The 


8'-0 


9'-0" J 

Fig.   23.     Three-piece  entry  set   with  battered 


life  of  entry  timbers  varies  from  six  months  to  five  years  with 
an  average  of  eighteen  months. 

Where  roof  conditions  are   so  varied   unusual   examples 
of  timbering  may  be  expected.    Fig.  24  shows  typical  timbering 


MINING   PRACTICE 


39 


of  entries  under  shale  roof.  The  legs  of  this  three-piece  gang- 
way set  are  7  feet  long  and  8  inches  in  diameter.  The  cross- 
bars are  8  feet  long  and  8  inches  in  diameter.  Both  legs  and 
crossbars  are  round  red  oak,  spaced  on  2%-foot  centers.  At 
one  mine  there  are  no  crossbars  in  the  entries,  as  the  entire 
mine  has  a  limestone  roof.  At  another  mine  which  has  in 
places  a  thick  shale  deposit  overlying  the  coal,  the  roof  on 
both  sides  of  the  shaft  caved  to  a  height  of  42  feet  from  the 
floor.  This  cave  extended  110  feet  along  the  main  entry.  Fig. 
25  shows  the  method  of  timbering  the  entry  in  the  caved  area. 
The  frames  shown  were  set  on  4%-foot  centers.  Iron  rails 
which  are  occasionally  used  as  crossbars  in  entry  timbering, 
should  be  at  least  of  70-pound  size.  Generally  throughout  the 
State  a  rail  lighter  than  70  pounds  has  given  poor  satisfaction 
as  a  crossbar  and  has  required  early  renewal. 


Fig.  24.     Timbering  under  shale   roof. 


None  of  the  mines  has  a  concrete  or  masonry  lined  shaft 
bottom  and  steel  I-beams  are  used  in  only  a  few.  Fig.  26 
shows  the  use  of  steel  I-beams  and  11-bar  legs  set  on  concrete 
foundations.  Generally  the  shaft  bottoms  are  lined  with  16  to 
24-inch  framed  timber  3-piece  sets  carrying  2-inch  lagging. 
Occasionally  round,  rough  timber  legs  and  crossbars  L6  to  24 
inches  in  diameter  are  used. 

The  roof  of  rooms  in  District  VII  is  usually  supported  by 
unpeeled  split  and  round  props,  although  in  seven  of  the 
mines  round  props  exclusively  are  bought.    In  eight  mines  split 


40 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


props  alone  are  used.    The  average  length  of  room  props  in  the 
district  is  8  feet.    The  average  life  is  20  months. 

Several  typical  rooms  under  shale  or  clod  roof  were  in- 
spected at  each  mine.  The  width  of  room  was  measured,  and 
the  number  of  props  in  place  counted  in  a  measured  length 
of  room.    From  these  data  the  number  of  props  per  100  square 


-Concrete 


Fig.   25.      Timbering  in  caved  area. 


feet  of  roof  was  calculated.  Table  15  gives  figures  concerning 
propping  in  rooms  under  a  roof  other  than  limestone.  The 
costs  given  in  this  table  apply  to  unpeeled  props,  and  were 
supplied  in  each  case  by  the  operating  company.  Fig.  27 
shows  typical  propping  under  bad  roof. 


MINING   PRACTICE 


41 


Table  15.- 

—Props  in  rooms. 

6 

No.  per   ioo 

square  feet 

of    roof 

Cost  in  cents 

per  100  square 

feet  of  roof 

j-t  & 

a;  "0 

B  .5 

re 

s 

~  Id 

V3  0-. 

re    r- 

•°§ 

s u 

u 

u 

u 

0 

B  ^ 
0 

Cost  in  cents 

per    ton    of 

coal 

66 

6.o 

72.0 

4 

8 

12 

No 

Both 

67 

2.7 

27.0 

4-5 

8 

12 

No 

Both 

1.0 

68 

2.7 

42.3 

4-5 

8 

36 

Yes 

Both 

2.2 

69 

2.0 

16.0 

4-5 

8 

18 

No 

Round 

0.9 

70 

6.o 

54-0 

4-5 

7 

18 

Yes 

Both 

1.8 

7i 

5-0 

50.0 

4-5 

8 

9 

Yes 

Both 

2.8 

72 

5 

8 

18 

Yes 

Round 

1-5 

73 

.... 

4-5 

6 

12 

Yes 

Split 

74 

4-5 

7 

12 

Round 

1.9 

75 

i.8 

25.2 

4-5 

7 

18 

Yes 

Both 

1.6 

76 

4-5 

7 

18 

No 

Both 

2.5 

77 

4.0 

64.0 

5-5 

8 

18 

Yes 

Both 

24 

78 

4-0 

42.0 

4 

7 

12 

No 

Both 

1.0 

79 

2.4 

33-6 

5 

8 

24 

No 

Split 

8o 



8i 

4 

7 

24 

No 

Both 

82 

7.2a 

70.3 

4 

6/2 

12 

Yes 

Split 

2.5b 

83 

5.o 

40.0 

4 

8 

24 

No 

Both 

0.6 

84 

5.o 

70.0 

4-5 

8 

1       " 

Yes 

Split 



85 

i-3 

11.7 

5 

7V2 

1       24 

No 

Split 

0.5 

86 

1.9 

10.5 

4-5 

5/2 

36 

No 

Both 

o.5 

8/ 

5-0 

32.5 

4.5 

6^ 

" 

No 

Both 

3-0 

88 

|       5.o 

30.0 

4 

6 

|  Split,  24; 

round,  48 

No 

Both 

0.5 

89 

|       2.8 

19.6 

1       4 

1     7 

-'4 

No 

Split 

2.0 

90 

2.6 

18.2 

4 

1     7 

|        48 

No 

Round 



a.  Including   cross   bars. 

b.  Including   cost    of   brushing    roof 


The  distance  from  the  face  at  which  the  nearest  prop  was 
found  in  rooms  working  under  shale  or  clod  roof  varied  from 
7  to  20  feet.  With  a  closer  supervision  of  the  miner's  place 
the  number  of  accidents  from  roof  f'jills  at  the  face  could  be 
lessened  materially.  No  miner  under  shale  roof  in  this  district 
should  be  allowed  to  work  20  feel  ahead  of  liis  last  prop. 
In  general  throughout  the  State  in  small  mines  good  dis- 
cipline is  not  maintained  in  regard  to  the  miner's  care  of  his 
place.  Increasing  the  number  of  face  bosses  would  decrease 
the  loss  of  life,  because  many  miners  will  not  use  sufficient  care 
in  propping  unless  forced  to  do  so. 


42 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


HAULAGE. 

The  No.  6  bed  in  this  district  lies  comparatively  flat,  the 
grades  being  steep  in  only  a  few  mines.     Haulage  in  mines 


Fig.    26.      Steel   timbering. 


of  large  production  is  given  the  attention  deserved,  and  ac- 
cordingly a  proper  expenditure  is  made  on  upkeep  of  track  and 


Fig.  27.     Typical  propping  under  bad  roor 


roadbed.     The  rail  weight  of  the  main  haulage  is  not  so  heavy 
as  it  is  in  new  mines  east  of  the  Duquoin  anticline,  but  haulage 


MIXING   PRACTICE 


43 


equipment  in  the  district  generally  is  better  than  the  average 
for  the  State.  Electric  locomotives  were  found  in  nineteen  of 
the  twenty-five  mines  and  gasoline  locomotives  in  two.  In  only 
four  mines  were  mules  used  on  the  main  haulage. 

The  weight  of  electric  locomotives  on  the  main  haulage  in 
the  district  varies  from  six  to  fifteen  tons.  Where  used  for 
gathering,  their  weight  is  usually  five  tons.  The  six-ton  gasoline 
locomotive  is  used  in  two  mines  where  the  haul  from  the  part- 
ings has  become  too  long  for  profitable  mule  haulage.  At  one 
mine  the  gasoline  locomotive  hauls  to  the  bottom  in  one  shift 


P^f-  "aijT-^^    y^p,""^m%-        Pytiy-^  "■"^ 

-"*   '^i%*L             -  ^»  J**^^"'*  -"to-  ~Am* '       -^ 

*-3.  '•■NS^S 

3*^^^"^-S%£.  ^%f^^8*** 

■w„,„    "":<*2mm"'_                                                                 ~~     -        ~~                          '-  ._»                  ^* 

>v^_   ..>*■«  .,?•,*!• 

Fig.   28.      Six-ton   gasoline   locomotiv< 


1300  tons  of  coal.  The  gasoline  consumed  is  IS  gallons  at  a 
cost  of  12.25,  making  the  fuel  expense  $.0017  per  ton  of  coal 
hauled.  At  another  mine  the  gasoline  locomotive  hauls  000 
tons  per  shift  with  a  gasoline  consumption  of  15  gallons  cost- 
ing |1.80.  This  is  $.002  per  ton  of  coal  hauled.  The  average 
trip  at  this  mine  is  25  loads  of  4000  pounds  each  including  car 
and  coal.  Fig.  28  shows  a  six-Ion  gasoline  Locomotive.  Gasoline 
locomotives  ace  subject  to  the  usual  defects  of  the  gasoline 
engine  when  required  to  do  variable  work,  and  their  exhaust 
of  combustion  products  may  limit  their  use  to  entries  where 
there  is  an  air-current  of  large  volume  and  high  velocity.  Their 
great  advantages  are  cheapness  of  installation  and  flexibility. 
The  necessity  of  bonding  rails,  which  must  be  done  for  electric 


44 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


haulage,  is  obviated  and  the  change  from  mule  haulage  can  be 
made  without  stringing  trolley  wires. 

The  rack-rail  electric  locomotive  was  used  in  two  mines. 
At  one  the  rack-rail  was  used  as  a  third-rail  and  the  power 
transmitted  through  it.  At  another  so  much  leakage  had  taken 
place  when  the  current  was  sent  through  the  rack-rail  that  a 
trolley  wire  Avas  strung  and  the  locomotive  fitted  with  a  pole. 
The  rack-rail  locomotive  is  still  used  because  of  the  steep 
grades,  which  prohibit  the  use  of  the  standard  light-weight 
electric  locomotive.  The  third-rail  in  coal  mines  is  not  only 
dangerous  but  the  leakage  of  power  is  serious  where  the  floor 
is  damp.  Fig  29  shows  a  three-ton  rack-rail  electric  locomotive. 
Table  1G  gives  data  on  locomotive  ton-mileage. 


L:- 1  7  - 


Fig.    29.      Three-ton   rack-rail    locomotive. 


The  mules  in  the  mines  of  this  district  are  kept  in  good 
condition.  Their  cost  is  steadily  increasing.  Depending  on 
age  and  condition  the  price  of  an  1100-pouud  mule  varies  from 
$175  to  $275.  The  increased  production  of  the  mines  and  the 
substitution  of  locomotives  for  mules  on  the  long  hauls  have 
limited  the  work  of  the  animals  to  gathering.  As  this  must 
be  done  at  high  speed  to  keep  the  locomotives  supplied  with 
loads  the  life  of  a  mule  has  consequently  been  shortened.  In 
many  mines  in  this  district  and  throughout  the  State  the  limit 
of  the  average  mule's  work  underground  is  3  years.  The  ex- 
pense including  feed,  shoeing  and  harness  repair  is  estimated 


MINING   PRACTICE 


45 


to  be  $.75  to  f  1  a  day.  It  is  impossible  to  obtain  average  figures 
on  ton-mileage  of  mules  because  of  no  segregation  of  expense 
items.  In  one  mine  on  a  2  per  cent  grade  in  favor  of  the  loads 
two  mules  weighing  1300  pounds  each  made  seventy-five  loaded 
trips  of  700  feet  with  four  cars  weighing  empty  1000  pounds 
apiece,  each  having  a  capacity  of  3500  pounds.  With  this  load 
and  haul  the  daily  ton  mileage  for  each  mule  was  54.07. 


Table  16.— 

Ton  mileage  of  loco  mot  ires. 

Mine  No. 

Kind  of 
locomotive 

Weight  of 

locomotive 

in  tons 

Miles 
traveled 
per  shift 

Ton  mileage  pei 

shift 

In  coal 

In  cars 

Total 

66 
6/ 
68 

Electric 
Electric 
Electric 

15 
7-5 
10 

34-o8 
47-36 
10.61 

1 107 

829 
468 

7i6 

709 
404 

1823 
1598 

875 

69 

No  locomotive 

1 







7o 
/i 
72 
73 

Electric 
Electric 
Electric 
Electric 

7-5 
13 
12 
10 

41.69 
30.28 
23.00 

835 
908 
667 

502 

652 

460 



^337 
1560 
1127 



74 

Electric 

12.5 

26.50 

716 

716 

H32 

75 
76 
77 
/8 

Electric 
Electric 
Electric 
No  locomotive 

10 
10 
13 

I5-M 
22.72 
21.03 

534 
568 
486 

386 
409 
506 



920 
977 
992 



79 
80 

Gasoline 

No  locomotive 

6 

12.72 

3M 

154 

468 

81 

Gasoline 

5 

16.58 

3ii 

207 

5i8 

82 
83 

Electric 

No  locomotive 

12 

36.00 

2203 

1892 

4095 

84 
85 
86 

Electric 
Electric 

12 
12 

15-90 

444 

286 

730 

87 
88 
89 
90 

Electric 

Electric  rackrail 
Electric  rackrail 
No   locomotive 

10 

5 
4 

32.50 
40.00 
35.00 

683 
823 
690 

683 

77<) 
866 

1366 
1593 

1556 

Kail  weights  on  the  main  haulage  roads  average  30  pounds; 
on  secondary  haulage  roads  18  pounds.  In  the  25  mines  40- 
pound  rails,  upon  which  was  operated  a  15-ton  electric  locomo- 
tive, were  the  heaviest  found.  Heavier  steel  for  large  locomo- 
tives and  cars  would  decrease  the  number  of  wrecks  and  would 
prove  economical  because  of  lessened  hack  repair  expense. 

In  nine 
was  used. 


The  track  gages  for  the  district  average  36  inches. 


mines  a  42-inch  gage 


On  the  main   haulage  in  one 


4G 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


mine  the  gage  is  48  inches.  A  track  gage  of  only  24  inches 
was  found  in  two  mines. 

In  some  mines  leaky  pit  cars  and  frequent  wrecks  increase 
the  haulage  expense.  At  one  mine  with  a  daily  production  of 
1050  tons  it  is  necessary  to  clean  up  an  average  of  20  tons 
from  the  haulage  way  each  night  because  of  the  many  wrecks 
and  the  loss  of  coal  from  pit  cars  in  transit.  At  another  mine 
which  has  low  grades,  easy  curves  and  a  good  roadbed  the  coal 
lost  from  pit  cars  through  leaks  and  by  overloading  necessitates 
an  average  nightly  clean  up  of  24  tons. 

Few  mines  in  this  district  have  steel  pit  cars,  or  any  with 
roller-bearing  wheels,  only  one  of  the  25  mines  examined  hav- 
ing roller-bearing  Avheels  on  steel  cars.     The  average  weight  of 


g^v: 


Fig.   30.     Air-lift  in  shaft  bottom. 


empty  pit  cars  in  the  25  mines  is  1,884  pounds,  and  the  capacity, 
4,734  pounds.  Hence,  the  amount  of  coal  carried  in  the  average 
car  is  only  2.51  times  the  weight  of  the  car.  The  weight  of  the 
average  car  is  28.4  per  cent  of  the  total  weight  of  car  and  coal. 
In  the  25  mines  the  average  daily  production  was  1,817  tons, 
hence  768  average  cars  were  daily  taken  to  the  bottom.  To  get 
1,817  tons  of  coal  to  the  bottom,  it  was  necessary  to  haul  724 
tons  of  cars,  not  counting  the  return  trips  of  empties.  The 
daily  excess  weight  of  heavy  pit  cars  hauled  unnecessarily  in- 


Mining  practice 


11 


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48 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


creases  the  cost  of  haulage.    Table  17  gives  data  on  haulage  at 
each  of  the  25  mines  examined. 

HOISTING. 

The  speed  of  hoisting  common  to  the  mines  of  large  pro- 
duction in  the  district  is  remarkable.  At  the  No.  2  mine  of 
the  Superior  Coal  Company  at  Gillespie,  where  the  bottom  of 
the  shaft  is  346  feet  below  the  dumping  shoes  in  the  tipple, 
5,133  tons  were  hoisted  in  eight  hours  on  March  24,  1914. 
In  Mine  No.  1  of  the  New  Staunton  Coal  Company  at  Liv- 
ingston 1,525  hoists  in  eight  hours  were  made  through  a  shaft 
287  feet  deep,  an  average  of  3.18  hoists  per  minute.    From  July 


Fig.    31.      Typical   shaft   bottom. 


1,  1913  to  January  1,  1914,  the  number  of  tons  hoisted  daily 
at  this  mine  averaged  4,209. 

Mechanical  devices  such  as  the  chain  car-haul  and  the 
air  lift  are  frequently  employed  at  the  large  mines  for  lifting- 
empty  cars  to  main  entry  level  after  they  have  been  bumped 
off  the  cage  by  the  loaded  cars,  which  are  usually  caged  auto- 
matically and  approach  the  shaft  on  a  2-per  cent  grade  in  favor 
of  the  loads.  Automatic  caging  is  not  done  in  many  mines  of 
the  district.  Fig.  30  shows  the  plan  of  a  shaft  bottom  and  the 
location  of  an  air  lift.  A  bottom  track  arrangement  common 
in  the  district  is  shown  in  fig.  31. 


MINING    PRACTICE 


49 


At  nearly  all  mines  of  moderate  production  signalling  from 
the  bottom  to  the  engine  room  was  done  with  a  modern  pneu- 
matic signalling  device;  but  in  a  few  of  the  small  mines  the 
signals  for  cage  movement  were  transmitted  by  pulling  a  wire 
which  rang  the  engine  room  bell. 

The  modern  first-motion  hoisting  engine  was  found  at  23 
of  the  mines;  only  two  had  the  second-motion  engine.  In  10 
mines  the  engine  size  was  24  by  36  inches.  Only  one  mine, 
with  an  engine  24  by  42  inches,  had  a  larger  cylinder.  Conical 
drums  were  generally  preferred  to  the  cylindrical,  and  1*4 -inch 
crucible  steel  cable  was  in  general  use. 

Hoisting  data  for  each  of  the  twenty-five  mines  are  given 
in  Table  18. 


Table  18. — Ernst  irvg. 


66 

67 
68 
69 
70 
7i 
72 
73 
74 
75 

76  I 

77  I 

78  I 

79  I 

80  J 
8r  I 

82  I 

83  I 
«4  I 

85  I 

86  I 

«7  I 

88  I 

89  I 

90  I 


T3  P 

bo  c 


40OO 

I2SO 
2500 

500 
1250 
2500 
4000 
3750 
2800 
2000 
2120 
2500 

800 
I700 
IOO6 

800 
3O0O 

800 
20OO 
I20O 
l800 

800 
1050 

-100 

500 


5  bo 


Yes  I 
Yes  I 
Yes  J 
No  I 
Yes  I 
Yes  J 
Yes  I 
Yes 
Yes  I 
Yes  I 
Yes  I 
Yes  j 
Yes  I 
Yes  I 
Yes  J 
Yes  I 
Yes  [ 
Yes  I 
Yes  J 
Yes 
Yes  I 
No  I 
Yes  I 
Yes  j 
No    I 


Hoisting  shaft 


Q.S 


332 
320 
387 
290 
92 
194 
287 
318 
330 
310 
370 
462 
160 
127 
M5 

2CO 
192 
I40 
320 

44" 
536 
707 

85 

85 

160 


Si 


8  by   14 
8  by  12 

8  by  15 
$y2  by  1 1     j 
8  by  .3        I 
8  by  18 

$y2  by  i4j/>; 

8  by    17 
9lA  by  18 

8y2  by  14  [ 
1 1  by  22 
<)  by  16 
7  by  14 
7  by  15 
7  by   T4 

7  by   14 

9  by   [8 
Sy2   by    [6 

8  by   t6 
7%   by    10 
9lA   by   14^ 

6  by   14         I 
7%  by  1 1 

8   by     12  j 

7  by    1  I 


Hoisting  Engine 


fe  2 


Yes 

No 

Yes 

No 

No 

No    I 

No 

Yes   ! 

Yes 

No 

No 


No 

No 
No 

No 
No 


I 

: 

1 

1 
....  1 

No 

....  I 

No  I 

....  I 

No  I 

No  I 

No  I 


Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

No 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

Yes 

No 


Size  in 

indies 


-argest   diameter  when   conical. 


24  by  36 

20  b)  32 

24  by  36 

if)  by  30 

12  by  20 

20  by  36 

24  1>\  36 
24  by  36 
24  by  36 
24  by  36 
24  by  36 
24  by  40 
18  by  36 
20  by  36 
18  by  36 
24  by  36 
2  1  by  36 
20  by  36 
24  by  36 
22  by  36 
24  by  42 
[8  by  32 
[6  by  32 
[6  by  24  J 
12  by  24 


Drum 


bo  « 


h4-S 


8 

7 
8  I 

6  i 
5  ! 
6 

8  i 
8 

8  I 

I  8  I 

!  7 
9 


I 

I  7 


7     I 


I  6  ! 

1  7  ! 
I  7   I 


/ 

8 

3  I 

6  I 

4  I 


3 

4V1 
3V2 

8 


I  7 


8-M 

(» 

6 

.5 

4V2 

6 

8 

6 

8 

3 

5 

3/, 

4 

7/, 

6 

8 

8 


50  COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 

PREPARATION   OF  COAL 


The  sizes  of  coal  usually  made  in  this  district  are : 
Name.  Size  in  inches 

Six-inch-lump  Over  6 

Egg  Through  6;  over  3 

Two-inch-lump  Through  3;  over  2 

Screenings  Through  2 

At  the  average  mine  25  per  cent  of  the  total  output  is  over 
six  inches  in  size,  and  65  per  cent  is  larger  than  two  inches. 
At  three  mines  the  coal  under  two  inches  was  rescreened  in 
revolving  screens  varying  in  length  from  16  to  22  feet;  in 
diameter  from  2y2  to  5  feet;  in  inclination  from  1%  to  2*4 
inches  per  foot.  These  screens  made  about  15  revolutions  a 
minute.  The  usual  sizes  made  in  the  rescreeners  are : 
Name  Size  in  inches 

No.  2  Nut  Through  2 ;  over  1% 

No.  1  Nut  Through  1% ;  over  % 

Pea  Through  % ;  over  14 

Slack  Through  % 


Fig.   32.      Inflammable  material  piled  against  frame   tipple. 

The  output  from  a  few  mines  was  washed  at  the  mine. 
In  some  instances,  however,  the  entire  production  was  shipped 
to  central  washeries  operated  in  each  case  for  a  group  of  mines 
under  the  same  ownership.  A  description  of  the  washeries  in 
this  district  is  contained  in  Bulletin  69,  Coal  Washing  in  Illi- 
nois, by  F.  C.  Lincoln,  published  by  the  Engineering  Experiment 
Station  of  the  University  of  Illinois.  The  subject  of  coal  pre- 
paration will  be  discussed  in  a  later  special  bulletin.  This 
report  gives  only  a  few  general  items  under  this  head. 

Only  one  of  the  twenty-five  mines  shipped  run-of-mine  coal 
exclusively,  although  at  another  mine  run-of-mine  shipments 
constitute  15  per  cent  of  the  yearly  product.  The  percentage  of 
output  shipped  as  mine-run  from  the  other  mines  examined  is 
so  low  as  to  be  negligible. 


PRFJ'AKATION    OF    COAL 


51 


,>'.. 


> 


Fig.   33.     Frame  tipple. 


Table  19. — Preparation  of  <<><il  for  market. 


Material 
of  tipple 


66  ! Steel 

6/    [Corrugated    iron 

68  | Corrugated    iron 

69  I  Frame 

70  Corrugated   iron 

71  Frame 

72  Frame 

73  Steel 

74  Steel 

75  I  Frame 

76  I  Steel 

77  J  Corrugated    iron 

78  j Corrugated    iron 

79  j  Frame 

80  (Frame 

81  I  Frame 

82  [Steel 

83  Corrugated    iron 

84  Steel 

85  Steel 
Steel 

87    Frame 

Frame 

Frame 
go  I  Frame 


Primary  sizing  screen 


Type 


Gravity  bar 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Gravity    bar 

Shaker 

Shaker 

Gravity    bar 


12 

40 
28 
18 
30 

55 
50 
48 
36 
50 
25 
40 

30 

30 
30 
40 
32 
30 
25 

.8 
1 8 
40 
30 


8 
6 
7 

7 
8 

7 

7 
8 

7 

!() 

8 
8 
6 
6 

9 
10 

9 
8 
8 
6 
6 
6 
8 


o  u 
el 


4 

3 

4 

3 

4 

3 

4 

4 

3 

3 

4 

3 

3K> 

3 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 

3 

4 

4 

4 

4 

4 


I  90 
80 
66 
80 
60 
80 

85 
80 
80 
80 
100 

48 

90 

95 
90 
90 
82 
90 
90 


60 
60 


Is  coal 
rescreened 

or  washed? 


Washed 

Neither 

Washed 

Neither 

Washed 

Neither 

Neither 

Neither 

Rescreened 

Neither 

Washed 

Neither 

Neither 

Neither 

Rescreened 

Neither 

Neither 

Neither 

Washed 

Neither 

Neither 

Rescreened 

Neither 

Neither 

Neither 


Percent oi 

total  out- 

put 


5.5 


>   u 

o.s 


65 

I  73 
j  60 
I  70 
I   70 

J', 

72 

75 
\  r>7 
!  74 
I  7i 
I  75 

7i 

60 

I   7° 

I  ^ 
I   .... 

67 

I  70 
!  65 
I  65 

!    70   I 


20 
25 

40 
32 
33 
40 

35 
19 


41 


35 
35 
36 

22 
38 

15 


a.Including    crossbars. 

b. Including  cost  of  brushing  roof. 


52 


COAL    MINING    INVESTIGATIONS 


Figures  on  equipment  for  preparing  coal  for  market  are 
given  in  Table  19. 

The  power  plant  at  each  of  the  mines  is  equipped  with  fire- 
tube  boilers.  An  occasional  plant  is  found  where  expensive 
equipment — because  of  faulty  design  and  arrangement — gives 
low  efficiency.  The  lack  of  proper  precautions  against  fire 
is  observable  on  the  surface  at  many  mines  as  well  as  under- 
ground. Storage  of  inflammable  material  near  the  tipple  may  be 
seen  at  some  plants.    Fig.  32  shows  a  frame  tipple  against  which 


Fig.    34.      Fire-proofed   surface   plant. 


are  heaped  empty  oil  barrels  and  other  combustibles.  The  tim- 
ber of  which  some  frame  tipples  are  constructed,  however,  con- 
stitute their  only  fire  risk.  See  fig.  33.  A  typical  fireproof 
surface  plant  in  the  district  is  shown  in  fig.  34.  Power  plant 
equipment  for  each  mine  is  given  in  Table  20. 


PREPARATION    OP   GOAF, 


53 


Table 

20.- 

—Surface  plant  equip] 

nent. 

*3  F  ^ 

0  0 

Boil 

ers 

Electric 

Air 

u  .-£ 

0  a, 
w.2* 

Pu* 

Ui  ^ 

<L>  _G 

<V            CD  CU   U 

^p  £  «  5 

«-.  «  e/j  W  (jj 

<L>  <L>  ^  C  . 

>  ~  <u  3  £ 

generators 

compressors 

6 

2^  a 

£  CD 
a3  > 
O  O 

6 

0 

H 

•Si 

> 

c 

Pressure 

in  pounds 

per  square 

inch 

66 

3 

55 

8 

1200 

I  IO 

200   260 

2 

70 

6/ 

3 

50 

8 

900 

80 

100 

250 

68 

3- 

70 

10 

1250 

100 

i75 

250 

2 

80 

69 

2 

40 

3 

240 

90 

70 

2 

30 

5 

500 

90 

150 

250 

2 

90 

71 

4 

75 

6 

1400 

no 

275 

250 

I       80 

5 

8 

1000 

120 

200 

275 

.... 

73 

4 

5 

75o 

IOO 

150 

250 

....  1 

74 

3 

90 

6 

900 

120 

i75 

250 

.... 

75 

3 

50 

6 

840 

IOO 

250 

250 

....  |     .... 

76 

6 

90 

10 

1200 

I20 

200 

250 

1  j    IOO 

77 

4 

80 

3 

750 

125 

300 

250 

•  ....  |     .... 

78 

4 

35 

4 

300 

IOO 

I  |     85 

79 

4 

32 

4 

400 

HO 

125 

250 

....  |     .... 

80 

2 

30 

4 

500 

90 

IOO 

250 

81 

3 

13 

1 

150 

115 

....  |     .... 

82 

5 

100 

9 

i35o 

125 

250  j  260 

2  |     90 

83 

3 

5o 

4 

600 

no 

I  j     90 

84 

4 

80 

8 

1200 

110 

550 

260 

2  |     IOO 

85 

3 

40 

4 

45o 

100 

IOO 

250 

1 

86 

3 

40 

5 

575 

100 

200 

275 

.... 

87 

2 

40 

4 

55o 

100 

IOO 

250 

....  1     ...' 

88 

1 

25 

5 

400 

HO 

200 

250 

1  1      80 

89 

3 

25 

3 

450 

IOO 

75 

250 

....  1     ... 

90 

2 

8 

4 

600 

80 

I  1      80 

